There’s a certain stillness that arrives toward the end of the year. The air feels cooler, the days grow shorter, and life seems to gently nudge me inward…to reflect, to realign, and to remember what truly matters. Every year around this time, I find myself sitting with a warm drink, looking back on the months behind me. There’s always so much that’s happened. Joys I didn’t expect, challenges I didn’t plan for, moments of growth I didn’t see coming.

Towards the end of autumn of last year, I started building what I call my “immune-boosting and self-care rituals.” They’re not complicated…just small, steady habits that help me stay grounded, healthy, and calm before the winter winds roll in. They have changed a bit this year as I am a work in progress, but please allow me to share these routines with you.

Autumn has always been one of my favorite seasons. I absolutely love the colors, the cozy clothes, the crisp air that feels like a fresh start. However, it’s also one of the busiest times of year. The start of a new school year, new goals for my small business and Etsy shop, appointments left and right. Before I know it, I’m running on iced coffee and to-do lists.

Welcome to a new month everyone! It's October. I can feel the seasonall shift in the atmosphere. October is known for many types of awareness including breast cancer, national bullying prevention, national domestic violence month, LGBTQ+ history month, ADHD awarness month, and world mental health day (October 10). For this week's blog, I have chosen to focus on mental health and the topic of choice is creating cozy spaces for better mental health.

If you’re living with PCOS, please understand that you are not broken and you are not alone. Healing may take time and it may look different for each of us, but it is possible. Hope grows every time we choose to nourish ourselves, rest when we need it, speak kindly to our bodies, and share our stories.

If you’re navigating PCOS, I want you to know you don’t have to overhaul everything overnight. Start small. Add one new nourishing habit at a time. Celebrate the wins such as choosing fruit over a pastry, or cooking a meal that makes you feel steady instead of sluggish. PCOS may be part of our lives, but it doesn’t have to define the way we live. Every time I choose foods that make me feel better, I’m choosing myself. And that, more than anything, is empowering.

PCOS is more than irregular periods. It’s a hormonal imbalance involving elevated androgens (like testosterone), often insulin resistance, sometimes many small ovarian follicles (often called “cysts”) that don’t mature properly. The hormonal imbalance affects so many levels of my life. It affects me physically, emotionally and mentally.

I think what gratitude has taught me most is presence. Life moves fast, and it’s easy to get caught up in what’s next. But gratitude reminds me to pause, to notice what’s already here, to soak it in before it slips away.

Detoxing holistically means recognizing that the mind, body, and spirit are deeply connected. When one is out of alignment, it affects the others.